


Grocery Store Run-in

by CoyoteStarrksAss



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Past Character Death, Vergil is only here for like 3 secs tho lmao, Very Canon Divergent, bc this is like. Years after, this is from an au my friend kip told me abt on discord !
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23585365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoyoteStarrksAss/pseuds/CoyoteStarrksAss
Summary: Nero decided that, after Kyrie's death, he would live on his own for awhile, far too upset and depressed over it that he thinks it best he stay away from society, for the most part. Like everyone else, though (and still technically a growing boy, he IS a quarter demon and physically ages a bit slower than the rest of us), he does have to go out shopping for groceries, every now and again.Problem was, what the hell was HE doing here?!
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	Grocery Store Run-in

**Author's Note:**

> A friend of mine on discord and I talked a long while abt this au (it's their au mostly, i just thought up the fic) and i still rlly like this, so i figured i'd share it w y'all ! 
> 
> This is set a lil more over a century after the events of 5, i'd say. We didnt rlly talk over a set date but we think Kyrie would die of natural causes / old age, and Nero has been on his own for awhile, so chronologically i think it's sound !

_That can't possibly be him… Could it?_

The other white haired man in whom Nero was currently focused on was rooting around the dessert aisle of the grocery store both of them were in, but it wasn't what the man was looking at that shocked him. No, the mere _sight_ of the man was what Nero was shocked by.

It had been… Hell, Nero couldn't even remember how many years it had been, at this point, since he had last seen his uncle, Dante. The half-devil demon slayer didn't often leave his own home-city, only doing so if out on job, but surely his slayings wouldn't have brought him _here_ , to the quaint town Nero had set off to, to live in the woods and process the loss of the completely-human love of his life, Kyrie. It must have been a decade, at the least, since Nero had moved out of Devil May Cry, so maybe only twelve years since he had seen Dante, but surely… Surely Dante would still recognize his nephew if he caught his gaze, no? It wasn't as if the quarter-devil had changed much in appearance (and even more so, Dante hadn't) aside his hair was a bit longer and he had some mild stubble due to being unmotivated to do anything about it. So no doubt… 

_Duck behind an aisle. Go to the other side of the store. Stop staring._

And yet, Nero remained glued to his spot in the middle of the fruit area, watching as Dante moved among each freezer no less than twenty feet away. The glass of the freezers showed every reflection possible within this part of the store, so there was no sensible reason to believe the man didn't see him. But Nero couldn't find it in his heart - the heart he had so foolishly tried to believe was no longer beating in his chest, had died with his love - to move himself, instead watching Dante's every mood. 

In twelve years, Dante's own hair had grown quite a bit; touching his shoulders now, instead of just ending above it. His own stubble had been recently trimmed, as he almost always had it, and he was still wearing that same red jacket he had been since Nero had met him. The only difference was the flame print shirt he wore, and on close look, it seemed as though he had deep, dark circles under his eyes, worse than when Nero had last seen. 

_Do I look like that, to these people here, too? Has he been sleeping? I'm sure Vergil would worry about that, right?_

_…_

_Vergil's… Dad's, like, still living with him, right…?_

(It wasn't like Nero _knew_ the answers to his own questions, but he couldn't just _waltz_ up to Dante and ask. For one, he didn't want to startle the man, but he also had been completely radio-silent save for sending Dante gifts and trinkets a few times a year, so he also couldn't just walk up for that reason, as well.) 

A freezer closing a touch too loudly brought Nero back from his thoughts, and Dante was now walking away from him, still not looking Nero's way. Only resisting the urge to follow _quickly_ after, he followed after a few paces behind and ducked into a slightly-open aisle when Dante walked up to a cashier, setting his items down to pay. Sure, he probably looked a little odder than normal to the people of the store, but Nero wasn't going to let Dante out of his sight, at the least. He had to make sure he was doing alright; he cares for his uncle, after all… 

And so, Dante paid, thanked the cashier, and went about his way, leaving the store without even so much as a glance at where Nero was hiding, which was- odd, in and of itself. Dante had always been capable of sensing his presence, back when they had been working (and even briefly living) together, had always snuck up behind him even when Nero was trying to sneak up on _him_ , so there, logically, was no reason as to why Dante shouldn't have known he was there. There just wasn't any reason, and by hell, Nero was now mad about it! How could Dante just ignore him like that?!

_Maybe because you left with no word years ago, and he was a lonely guy anyway and he could be angry, depressed, or both, with your actions._

…Nero hates when he makes his own points against himself. 

Well. With Dante gone and going who knows where, there was nothing for Nero to do but continue his own shopping and brood while doing it, as he always did. This time, at least, he would be brooding over his family, and not his beloved late Kyrie… 

_Maybe I'll send him a letter this time. Tell him I'm doing okay. No sense in telling him I saw him if he didn't notice himself, but I can tell him everything's okay. If he isn't sleeping, it's probably because he's worried sick about something…_

_But I think it's time… He and I talked again._

* * *

Dante was sat outside the grocery store of the quaint little town, with its quaint little forest, where his beloved nephew had taken to living in solitude after his wife had died of old age. Nero, having aged slower than her due to the quarter of his DNA being that of a demon due to his father, Dante's brother Vergil (now isn't that a handful), had come out here after realizing he couldn't cope with her loss, and had been here for twelve years now, his only form of contact with his uncle being his sporadic sending of mail, filled with little gifts: Ones he had made, or the flowers he liked to collect. It was the only way Dante had known all these years that Nero had even been alive, every time he had gone by without something in the mail from him being a time in which he almost couldn't stand the respect for Nero's solitude Dante had. Many times in twelve years Dante had gassed up his motorcycle and drove out to this little town, always just standing outside the entrance to the woods and considering whether this would be the time that he knocked on the door, that he finally spoke to Nero since his wife's funeral. 

But every time, Dante had never followed through. He couldn't find it in his heart to follow through. There was a time in every year in which Dante would isolate himself from the world, in which he would mourn the death of his mother since he was a young child, and Nero, since knowing him, had always respected that time of year for Dante. He had always stayed right outside his door, sometimes speaking to him and sometimes just listening to Dante's soft sobs, and he had always had a meal prepared and gossip to pass on when Dante finally emerged from his room. So, for that, Dante wanted to respect his wish to be alone, because he had always respected his… 

…But it was getting difficult again. And especially so, because he had finally almost run into the young man, in the store. 

Dante had quickly turned himself to the freezers, to act as though he was looking through the ice cream selections, and simply hadn't glanced back, even though he knew his nephew had followed after in step and gaze. Because even with this accident, Dante was determined to respect Nero's space. Even though Dante wanted nothing more than to hug the last of his blood he had so tightly in his arms and assure him that he wasn't alone, that Dante understood the pain of losing his loved ones and was there to help, he was determined to let Nero handle his problems alone. 

Not just because Nero was an adult, or because Nero had respected Dante in a similar aspect. 

No, it was because Dante _knew_ ; Nero would come to him on his own time. He always had, with every problem he had ever had, because he _trusted_ Dante. Nero would confide in his uncle when he could handle it.

And Dante would never do anything to disrupt that trust. 

Dante _would_ , however, call his brother and tell him what had happened. 

"Hey Verge?"

"What could you possibly want at this moment, Dante?" Was the sighed, impatient reply he got over the phone. Vergil was as irritated with Dante as he always was. 

"I just saw Nero. He kinda looks like me, now; more than he ever did you. Guess we were right to joke that he was really _my_ son."

Dante didn't say his words condescendingly. Vergil didn't take them as such. No, his brother's silence was him trying to control the emotions he so tried to insist he didn't have. 

"Where is he?"

"Grocery store, in that little town I told you about. He looks scraggly, but not injured. Figured I'd tell you, I know you worry."

"Did he see you?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't know I saw him. Didn't wanna startle him."

"And he's… You're sure he's unharmed?"

"As sure as we are brothers, brother."

Vergil scoffed, then fell silent once again. Dante waited patiently, not concerned about it. 

"…Thank you, Dante. Thank you."

Dante didn't bother with a reply, simply hung up with a smile. Vergil would know why he did it, for even though he was halfway across the world from both Dante and Nero, he knew just how worried - how much sleep they both lost each day - his brother felt for his son. 

So, Dante kicked his bike's kickstand up, and made sure his few groceries were secure in his bag before he sped off, away from the grocery store, in which his nephew Nero still hadn't left himself. But, that was okay. 

Nero needed time. And whether that took a decade or two, Dante would respect that time. He loved his nephew, and would never willingly try to disrespect him.

If the young man took more than a century, though, then Dante would have to intervene. But _only_ after a century. Because then, that's when Dante would _really_ be too worried to care for any disrespect Nero might feel about it… 

And so, they each took their separate leaves. Nero with the intent to speak to Dante, and Dante with the intent to wait for the words. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank y'all for readin !! And while youve already read this from the google doc, if ya followed the link from tumblr, kip, thank YOU too for tellin me all abt this au of yours too !!!


End file.
